Niger's government has set a maximum 36 hours for fuel tankers to travel from the Soraz refinery, near Zinder in the east, to the Sorey fuel depot in the capital, Niamey. The state fuel distributor, Sonidep, said some journeys had taken up to five days, according to Journal du Niger.
The measures were announced on Monday morning at a meeting between the petroleum and transport ministries and the Federation of Hydrocarbon and Gas Transporters of Niger. Transport Minister Abdourahamane Amadou requires every tanker to pass a full inspection at a state-approved centre. Drivers will face compulsory medical checks, and authorities plan to fit GPS trackers to all tankers to limit diversion and delays.
The rule follows a shortage that reached Niamey in mid-October. The state news agency ANP reported on 23 October that the capital had gone nearly two weeks with long queues at petrol stations, and a station manager said some cars went two to three days without petrol. ANP reported improving supply at the stations it visited, not a nationwide end to shortages.
The earlier response reorganised station opening hours to make room for deliveries. In an account dated 22 October, the government described overnight restocking; Africanews reported that sales were suspended from 21:00 to 06:00 except at designated duty stations. Petroleum Minister Hamadou Tini said during a 21 October visit that stocks were available and tankers were arriving at Sorey. On 17 October the government also banned exports of petrol and diesel, except with authorisation when there is a surplus, according to Agence Ecofin.
The earlier reporting identified problems beyond journey times. Tini told an advisory council on 5 October that petrol released by Sonidep fell 196.62 million litres short of what the refinery had delivered over the first eight months of 2026, but warned against reading that gap as fraud or smuggling, saying it had to be reconciled with production, stocks, imports, consumption and cross-border movements (Ecofin). Africanews linked the shortage to the end of smuggled petrol supplies and the limited capacity of the country's only refinery.
Shortages also interrupted drivers’ livelihoods. In October reporting, a Niamey taxi driver told Africanews that his daily takings of 20,000 to 23,000 CFA francs normally cover about 12,500 for fuel and 8,000 towards his vehicle payment, and that he had missed two daily payments, 16,000 francs, during the shortage.
Monday’s announcement establishes a delivery instruction, not yet an observed improvement in supply at petrol stations; the timetable for installing trackers remains unclear.